Verse 3.23

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

उक्तान्यन्नमयादीनि यानि तेषां तु कारणम् ।
अन्नादि प्रतिपत्तव्यं न हि कार्येऽस्ति लक्षणम् ॥ २३ ॥

uktānyannamayādīni yāni teṣāṃ tu kāraṇam |
annādi pratipattavyaṃ na hi kārye'sti lakṣaṇam || 23 ||

English translation of verse 3.23:

Food, etc., must be understood as the material cause of the annamaya, etc., spoken of (in the Brahmavallī). The definition of Brahman does not hold good in the case of an effect (like the annamaya).

Notes:

Brahman has been defined as the cause of origination, maintenance and destruction of the universe. This definition does not hold good in the case of the annamaya, the prāṇamaya, the manomaya, the vijñāna-maya, and the ānandamaya, which are all effects or modifications of anna, prāṇa, etc., respectively. So the latter, viz., anna, prāṇa, etc., referred to by Varuṇa must be looked upon as causes. For example, food is the material cause of all gross bodies. All beings are born from food; they live by food; and they are finally dissolved into food. So the definition of Brahman holds good tentatively in the case of food.